jshouse

i hunted davy crockett about 7 years ago and have not been back. i know a guy that got a nice 8 pointer a couple of years aqo. where do you hunt and where would you recommend?

jackye

JagMagMan

Js, I have not hunted National forest lands in many years now, but I started out hunting Sabine National forest. I have heard good things about Davey Crockett National forest though.
Every year there are people who get really nice deer off of these lands, but remember there is a lot of hunting pressure in these areas. The best thing to do is get in some scouting during the summer. It might be a little harder, but try to find the remote areas. Most of the National Forest hunters will be in the easy access areas. It has been my experience that if it is easy to get to, it won't be worth hunting! Too much traffic! So if you can get into the more remote places there will be less pressure and more deer!
You should be able to find maps at the Forest Service office or you can buy a good topo map of the area you want to hunt at a local print shop. Good luck!

Edited by - Frank on 01/12/2002 20:54:51

GoTres

My brother and I hunted public land around Palestine and it was very crowded. We hunted Saturday and Sunday and all we saw was blaze orange and hog sign. There is public land near Bonham at Coffee Mill Lake, Grainger Lake near Austin, and I think there's some public deer hunting near San Angelo that might be good land. I buy the TPWD Type II permit every year for the dove hunting alone, but it comes with a map book full of info on public lands. The permit costs $40 and you can register for draws on many hunts. (deer, antelope, desert bighorn, javelina, etc) Well worth the price of admission. Basically, you are buying access to over a hundred thousand acres of land, and it is all over the state. You can probably get info on TPWD's site or email me if you want (I don't hang out much in this forum) and I'll try to find the number for you. They go on sale in August.

Jawbone

Franks right about the pressure and be darn careful down there, lotta nuts on public land. I grew up hunting at the Davy Crockett Nat'l forest. There are some nice deer down there but tough due to all the pressure. Id do my homework on scouting the place out. Good Luck....Jaw